This Tasteful Nude Just Became One of the World's Most Expensive Paintings

Very pretty (or just very ostentatious) paintings will always be one of those things really rich people enjoy dropping big money on, but not all great works of art are created equal. In the art world, there are expensive paintings, and then are the elite members of the Nine Figures at Auction Club, those rare pieces that top $100 million at auction. Artists who are already in the club include Pablo Picasso, Francis Bacon, and Andy Warhol. Now, early 20th century artist Amedeo Modigliani, a man who used to sell his art for relative peanuts and died at just 35, is in the club too.

The painting above, Modigliani’s “Nu Couche,” sold for $170.4 million during an auction at Christie’s Monday night, making it the tenth painting to hit the $100 million mark at auction (others have managed it at private sales) and the second highest-priced painting to ever sell at auction (Picasso’s “Les Femmes d'Alger (Version O)” sold for $179.4 million earlier this year). According to The New York Times, the painting was the subject of a tense, six-buyer bidding war before billionaire Chinese investor Liu Yiqian won out.

Modigliani’s nudes have long been sought-after by contemporary collectors, and his work has fetched high prices before, but this was just $9 million away from an auction record, and it came even as the auction house was a little concerned “Nu Couche” was a little too sexy for some of the more modest bidders at the event.

So, what did we learn from this? People will pay serious money for a picture of a naked lady…Oh…wait…is it too late for us to rethink that “No Nudes” policy? Can someone get Hef on the phone?